subscription

Pronunciation

• IPA: /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English subscripcion, borrowed from Middle French subscription and directly from Latin subscriptiō, subscriptiōnem, anything written underneath, a signature,^[2][3] from subscript-, past participle stem of subscrībere, to write underneath (see subscribe).^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A piece of writing at the end of a document, especially a signature attesting it: 1409 in Barnhart, about 1400 in Etymonline.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

A signature is from 1483,^[5] the act of signing from 1492,^[5] and a declaration of assent to articles of religion from 1588.^[5] Subscribing money to a fund or stock is first recorded in 1647 (the 1640s),^[2][3] a sum contributed for a purpose by the 1670s,^[3] and subscribing to a periodical publication in 1679.^[2]

Timeline

• 1409 – a writing underneath.^[2]
• 1483 – a signature.^[5]
• 1588 – assent to articles.^[5]
• 1647 – subscribing money.^[2]
• 1679 – a subscription to a periodical.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An advance payment for issues of a periodical, a series of performances or a service over a set period.
2. The raising of money from subscribers, or the sum raised.
3. Membership fees paid regularly to a society or club.
4. Assent to articles of faith, shown by signing one's name.

Word family

• subscriptive
• subscriptively
• nonsubscription
• resubscription

Related words

• subscribe
• subscriber
• script
• scribe
• inscription

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press